Long skirts. Check. String. Check. Stationery. Check.

These are the things on Sarah Bergantz’s, sophomore, packing list as she heads to Kawete, Uganda, this Spring Break for a mission trip.

Bergantz’s church partnered with Christ Community International (CCI) to send groups to Uganda twice a year to construct schools, provide clinics and help the Ugandan people. In Uganda, Bergantz will be visiting classrooms and handing out stationery as well as making bracelets for the girls.

“I went to Belize on a mission trip a few years ago, so getting to experience that all over again is very exciting,” Bergantz said.

She said she looks forward to immersing herself within the culture of the people.

“I’m not just there to help the people. I’m also hoping that they spread their joy to us,” Bergantz said. “I feel like it will be an experience that I’ll never forget.”

Bergantz will be among a small group of individuals going to Uganda this spring, headed by Katie Killian, mission coordinator of CCI.

After countless annual visits to Uganda, Killian and her husband founded CCI to form an organization that gives back to the people. Although CCI is linked to the Christ Community Lutheran School in St. Louis and Uganda, there isn’t a religious incentive when it comes to CCI’s mission trips.

“We help everyone,” Killian said. “Yes, we may be affiliated with a religious organization but we make it our goal to provide for whoever needs it.”

Kilian goes to the same church as the Bergantz family, and Tanya Bergantz, Sarah’s mom, found out about the mission trips through her.

“My husband and I could’ve gone to Uganda on the mission trip a long time ago, but we waited till Sarah was sixteen so she could go with us as well,” Tanya said.

Tanya said it’s like her family’s culture to be respectful of others and try to get the complete experience out of every opportunity, and she thinks that this mission trip to Uganda will be great for Sarah.

“Seeing different perspectives first hand is just a really powerful reality, and I hope this mission trip helps Sarah understand that,” Tanya said. “We go with the intention of steering our faith and helping others, and we come back with more knowledge and awareness.”